NYPIRG rallies for state ethics reform in this 2010 file photo.By John Berry/The Post-Standard

Syracuse, NY - State legislators from Central New York raised about 52 percent of their campaign money from registered lobbyists or their clients last year, according to a new report from the New York Public Interest Group.

The report released in Syracuse today shows links between 10 CNY legislators and the special interests who lobbied on their bills.

That includes businesses interested in gaming, guns, health care, public safety and the kinds of Albany bills that commemorate local people and businesses on anniversaries and accomplishments.

Some examples: Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, introduced a bill that would return some video gaming revenue to medium-sized racinos to reinvest in the business. The same year, donations came to his campaign from the New York Gaming Association and others, the report said. The Finger Lakes Casino and Racetrack is in Nozzolio’s district.

Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, introduced a bill that would allow an 11 year old to use a .22-caliber rifle while supervised at a shooting range. The same year, Smith & Wesson, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the NYS Rifle and Pistol Association contributed to his re-election campaign, the report said. Valesky's aim, according to the bill, was to match the age to the youngest members of the Boy Scouts. The bill was requested by the Boy Scouts, said Jessica DeCerce, chief of staff for Valesky.

Assemblyman Gary Finch, R-Springport, introduced a bill to establish distinctive license plates for New York funeral directors in the same year funeral directors contributed to his re-election campaign, the report said. In addition to serving in the Assembly, Finch is a funeral director.

In the chart below, NYPIRG researcher Bill Mahoney compared bills introduced by 10 CNY legislators in 2012 with campaign donations from lobbyists and businesses interested in the issue.

Mahoney said he cannot show a cause and effect relationship for each donation and added that some of the donors may have opposed the bills. But he said the list “once again shows that much of the money raised by legislators in Albany comes from organizations with a vested interest in the activities of the state Legislature.”

NYPIRG said CNY legislators in Albany raised a combined total $1.1 million from lobbyists and their clients in 2012. Mahoney said he limited his research to corporate entities and said the number would be much higher if it included donations from individuals associated with those companies.